I have been thinking about what has been happening in our country and I see something new emerging. (Disclaimer: I am not a philosopher). One of the amazing things that America did well in the past, is giving people opportunities to move forward and upward. I know, not everyone has that opportunity, but on a whole, America is probably one of the only countries where someone like me (with an 8th grade education) can go back to school, have a variety of different jobs and be able to do so many things. Most other countries are more limited in those areas.
But I am seeing a new trend that is hurting our country: We have lost our moral compass. We have lost what we stand for and our ability to judge what is right and what is wrong. We have lost the ability to care about our neighbors, to care about our community, our world.
In conversations I often have people wonder what a good form of government is, and all I can say is: no government will work well without a moral compass. Human beings are prone to become selfish and look out for ourselves and our close community. In Job (a book in the Bible) there is a statement:”Their confidence hangs by a thread. They are leaning on a spider’s web.” That is where we are right now, right? Politics, COVID, government, life choices…….. All of it makes us just leaning into something fragile and unable to support us.
I don’t want to get preachy, but if we could all live into two basic principles, our world would be a better place: love God and love your neighbor as yourself.
Loving God - knowing there is someone bigger than ourselves.
Loving our neighbor - caring for people the way that we want to be cared for.

Jim and I watched ‘Don’t Look Up’ last night, an interesting movie that showed what happens when people cared about their own success, their own turf, their own agenda, and what happens when the big picture is lost.

We have opportunity over the years to work with Correct Craft and our local boat manufacturer Centurion Boats. I love their their pyramid of values: “Building boats to the glory of God - making life better”. They do that through their investment in people, their high performance, and their philanthropy.
I think they are one amazing example of a good moral compass. They make amazing boats, employ a ton of people, treat them well and are extremely successful. They have their moral compass and everyone wins!!!!

What if we all would think through our own moral compass? What if we knew what we stand for and how we want to fashion our lives? What if we live into the values of loving God and loving our neighbor? Would our world look differently?